Hudson is 4!

Hudson at four can be summed up by his birthday list. He wants swords, guns, a bigger drum set, a tractor pinata, and a battery powered tow-truck so that when cousin Pearl's battery powered Jeep runs out of battery, he can hook her up to his tow-truck and bring her home.

Hudson's determination is paying off. He has been working hard to pronounce "f". If you've ever heard Hudson you know the only consonant he consistently uses is "d". When he said "fresh" today he wrinkled his nose a little but then said it perfectly. Also this week Hudson figured out how to start pedaling on his 2-wheeler without a boost from us. He has been outside constantly, not fazed by knees full of scrapes and bruises.

I am constantly amazed that while Darla steps back at anything scary or menacing, Hudson's instinct is to step forward in confrontation and complete confidence in his own abilities. He absolutely believes he can run the weed eater without Sean's help.

He decided to "fix" Everett's bed and managed to sneak some screws and tools from the garage (pretend tools are no longer good enough).

When we set a mousetrap in the kitchen he was thrilled that we caught one. He is my official "trap checker". (I pretend I'm letting him as a privilege but really I'm just squeamish.)

This week I ran/jumped/soared into Everett's room when Hudson yelled to me, "Everett pooped! It's ok, Mom. I can change his diaper. I know how." Whoa! I intervened right before I had 2 boys, 1 dirty diaper, and new carpet all mushed together.

The favorite movie of the month at our house is Disney's Robin Hood. Hudson has asked to only wear green and brown like Robin Hood and has mastered the bow and arrow, to my surprise and Darla's terror.

This little man (okay, not so little. When I tell people his age I brace myself for the surprised looks.) intrigues me. I can't keep from squeezing him; his Veltkamp eyes, his endearing dimples, his missing tooth. I think by nature he is more reserved but being part of this family has made him social. I keep reminding him to tell me before he spontaneously visits neighbors. He is deeply sensitive but tends to internalize his hurts- or act goofy or aggressive to mask them. He struggles to articulate some of his thoughts but when he's excited I can hear him on the other side of the house expressively shouting, "Thank you, Lord!"

I'm excited for this next year in Hudson's life. I pray for God to give S. and I discernment as we parent him, particularly because he is not like either of us. I pray that we will be sensitive to his unique blend of personality, gifts and interests as we help him discover who he is in Christ. I often feel compelled to pray for him as a defender of the defenseless. I don't quite know why or what that looks like but I know there's a reason it's on my heart.

Today we celebrate our four year old Hudson Aaron & thank God that he is exactly what we need in an oldest son~